Anybody heard of Fandrich piano?
S. Newhouse
Has anybody heard of, played, or purchased a Fandrich piano? I read a
review of this piano in Larry Fine's "The Piano Book" and was intrigued by
the comments. They're not sold in stores, but I arranged to visit the home
of a person who owns one, taking my daughter's piano teacher along. We
were both very impressed, but they're quite expensive.
I may have an opportunity to buy a used one, still at what I consider a
relatively high price. Does anybody have any knowledge of or experience
with this piano?
S. Newhouse (snew...@apc.net)
Peter
Hi,
I have seen a Fandrich in Chicago and played some Liszt on it. Great
construction, beautiful tone and sounded like a grand. I love it (-:
Peter Chan (Hong Kong)
Andrew Robinson
Hi,
You are very lucky to find one of these used. I got to play one four
years
ago here in San Francisco. What a WONDERFUL touch! That action design
of
theirs really works well. The tone was very even and clear throughout
the
scale. No other upright comes close IMHO.
They are expensive, but the workmanship is first rate. I spoke to
Barbara
Fandrich a few weeks ago, and she told me they are working to start
production again in the near future. You might want to give her a call
at
the number listed in the Larry Fine book (that's what I did). The
Fandrich's
are very friendly and helpful people.
I can't wait to get one myself.
Andy
--
Andrew Robinson
INFORMIX SOFTWARE, INC.
MIS - Telecommunications dept.
"Music is sound painted on a canvas of silence."
Mitch Kiel
Fandrich Piano company was based in Aberdeen, Washington, and built a
few hundred vertical pianos that were wonderful in many ways. The pianos
sound great, have a revolutionary soundboard design, and use a patented
action that is uniquely responsive.
A few years ago the company experienced severe financial difficulties
and ownership disagreements, and ceased production. In my opinion, it's
unlikely that Fandrich Piano Co. will build any more of these vertical
pianos or restore its financial solvency.
For a more complete review of the Fandrich piano (and of many other
mfgs), as well as great explanations of general piano construction and
marketing strategies, read Larry Fine's wonderful "The Piano Book:
Buying and Owning a New or Used Piano." Larry can be reached at his
email address <pian...@aol.com> and has a web site at
<http://www.prairienet.org/arts/ptg/book.htm>
Two of the minority owners in the Fandrich Piano Company are/were Del
Fandrich, the piano's designer, and Larry Graddy. These two now own and
operate PianoBuilders NorthWest, a piano rebuilding and (re)design shop
in nearby Hoquiam, WA. Their mailing address is 724 Levee St, Hoquiam WA
98550, voice phone (360) 532-6688.
The patented Fandrich Vertical Action (which uses a butterfly
repetition spring) was licensed from its designer, Darrell Fandrich
(Del's brother), who can be reached at his store in Seattle -- Fandrich
& Sons, 12515 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98125, voice phone (206)
361-1221. Darrell Fandrich has just released a kit for retrofitting his
action into a pre-WWII Steinway upright, and will be teaching a class on
this topic at the Piano Technician's Guild Pacific NorthWest Conference
Convention March 14-16 in Olympia WA. Other luminaries teaching classes
include Del Fandrich on "Taming the Killer Octave", which will address
tonal and sustain problems in the upper tenor, and Dean Reyburn on
"Reyburn CyberTuner" which is amaaaazing software that turns a Mac
laptop into a standalone electronic tuning device <www.reyburn.com>.
The cost of attending the convention is $165 for non-members ($195
after March 1). Contact me for more info.
Mitch Kiel, Registered Piano Technician
11326 Patsy Dr SE
Olympia WA 98501
email: mitc...@olywa.net
voice (360) 264-5112
John S. Gray
That is Fandrich and not FEURICH, Right? I've been in the Feurich
factory, but Fandrich is a new one to me. Possibly some German-designed
Korean piano, again...?
JG
RayCampbel
The Fandrich piano is a very high quality piano, and the people who make
it are indeed very nice people. I've never heard anyone who played one or
any tech who worked on one say a bad thing about it.
The factory that used to make the piano in Washington state has been
closed. They have been hard at work for quite some time to get a new
factory open somewhere in the midwest. It's been on a "real soon now"
basis for quite some time, but so far as I know they are still actively
pursuing resuming production.
If you are looking at a Fandrich, the points of comparison are a Seiler
piano with the SMR action, the Fandrich itself, the Fandrich & Sons piano
(which puts a Fandrich action but not a Fandrich soundboard in a
Chinese-made upright) and a smaller grand. The Fandrich & Sons is
similar, but not, on reputation, as good; a similarly priced smaller grand
will look more impressive to non-musicians in your living room but
probably will be less enjoyable to play. The Seiler is the one upright
that I think is even better than the Fandrich; like the Fandrich, it's for
people who could afford a smaller grand but for space or playability
reasons would rather have a top quality upright. The Seiler, which came
out with the SMR action in the US after the Piano Book went to press, uses
magnets to do what the Fandrich action does with springs. If you want a
high end upright, you might want to check out the Seilers before you make
your investment; the pianists and piano techs who have played them in my
store -- all of whom say nice things about the Fandrich -- all go out
raving about its touch and its sound. The Seiler's are also compatible
with modern technology such as midi strips and player mechanisms, while
the Fandrichs are not. This might matter on the resale market for such a
top end instrument even if it doesn't affect your planned uses. Seiler,
which has been around since 1849, also can be counted on to be in
existence and solvent down the road should any unexpected problems arise
(although I confidently predict that the Fandrich people will
conscientiously honor all warranties to the full extent of their
abilities).
In pointing out the benefits of the Seiler, I don't mean for a minute to
diminish a Fandrich. If you buy either a Fandrich or a Seiler, you will
be very happy playing the piano you own.
Ray Campbell
zZounds Music Discovery Center
125 W. North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
312/280-4664
312/280-4913 (fax)
r...@zZounds.com
Rich DC250
Visited the Piano Shop today in Washington DC area and played a new
Charles Walter 6'4" grand. Was quite a beautiful sounding piano. Great
action as well. I knew they made good quality uprights, but this is the
first time I saw or played a CW grand. Were asking about 20K for it.
Not in the market, but it seems like a high quality piano for a not cheap,
but not totally extravagant price. Curious if there are others out there
that have played this piano.
Rich
Rick Simmons
RayCampbel wrote:
> If you are looking at a Fandrich, the points of comparison are a Seiler
> piano with the SMR action, the Fandrich itself, the Fandrich & Sons piano
> and a smaller grand.
Ray:
What do you consider a "smaller grand"? In terms of action
responsiveness *plus* overall playability, what quality of a smaller
grand would you think is a fair comparison to the Fandrich or Seiler?
On veritcals, do you feel Seiler stands alone? What about Schimmel...
or Steinway?
(I've started to question my intent to buy a grand (mostly space, but $$
too). Haven't played any top-notch verticals yet. All the ones I've
tried seem to put all their sound 2 inches from my face.)
-Rick
RayCampbel
When I said smaller grand, I suppose I was thinking six feet or smaller,
with all the obvious trade-offs as you go down in size. I would really
hate to rate the Seiler and Fandrich actions against specific lines of
grands, because taste in actions when you get to that level can be so
personal. I do know that one concert pianist who has a key to my store
and sometimes practices on one of our Seiler grands will cheerfully uses
the Seiler SMR upright in a soundroom once we open without complaint; she
prefers either over a Young Chang manufactured grand she has access to or
her own Yamaha upright.
I also want to be clear that I'm relying significantly on listening
carefully to other people's opinions, as I'm a recreational player
incapable in my own playing of pushing any of these pianos to their
limits. You should obviously do your own playing and draw your own
conclusions.
As for Steinway and Schimmel, their grands are obviously great pianos. So
far as I know, the action on their uprights is the standard upright
action, and as a result their uprights have the same well-established
drawbacks of any piano using such an action. Steinway's reputation is
based on their concert grands, and I'm not so sure that the elements that
give rise to their reputation in that field translate altogether to their
uprights. Again, though, you should let your fingers and your ears lead
you to your own decision.
As for where uprights put the sound, a lot of players I've talked to seem
to feel that having the sound come back at them -- as opposed out into the
room -- is an advantage if they primarily play for personal pleasure,
instead of for an audience.
Ray Campbell
zZounds Music Discovery Center
125 W. North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
312/280-4664
312/280-4913 (fax)
R...@zZounds.com
>Re:
S. Newhouse
John S. Gray <ag...@chebucto.ns.ca> wrote in article
<5e3epm$p...@News.Dal.Ca>...
Fandrich is a very new and innovative American piano maker, in business
since about 1989. They make an upright that plays and sounds like a grand.
Among other things, it has an action built to emulate a grand and a
soundboard designed to function in the same way as a audio speaker.
--
S. Newhouse
Ron Erwin
I'd just like to add that the Steinewy K52 inch upright has the voicing
and sound of a grand piano. I really appreciated the sound of the K52
in a smaller apartment/home. Now just come up with the about 25k for
the piano.....
Ron Erwin rse...@animal.blarg.net
RayCampbel (rayca...@aol.com) wrote:
: When I said smaller grand, I suppose I was thinking six feet or smaller,
John Musselwhite
rse...@animal.blarg.net (Ron Erwin) wrote:
>I'd just like to add that the Steinewy K52 inch upright has the voicing
>and sound of a grand piano. I really appreciated the sound of the K52
>in a smaller apartment/home. Now just come up with the about 25k for
> the piano.....
Some of the best concerti played on two pianos I've heard were played
on a K-52 and a Steinway B in a smaller room. The orchestral parts
played on the K were almost like "surround sound" as it reflected off
the walls, giving a wonderful clarity to the focused sound of the B.
>: When I said smaller grand, I suppose I was thinking six feet or smaller,
>: with all the obvious trade-offs as you go down in size. I would really
One of the finest small grands I've played recently is the new baby
Kawai (sorry I can't recall the model name right now). Although the
touch was a little heavy (that's cureable) it was remarkably smooth
throughout the scale with no noticeable change in the sound at the
bass break.
>: drawbacks of any piano using such an action. Steinway's reputation is
>: based on their concert grands, and I'm not so sure that the elements that
>: give rise to their reputation in that field translate altogether to their
>: uprights. Again, though, you should let your fingers and your ears lead
The big advantage in the Steinway verticals is the way they're built.
There is no chipboard or plywood in them and in general they are
overbuilt compared to most other verticals so they will last a long
time. The K in particular, having long keys and a full-size action,
can be regulated to play extremely well if the technician is careful
about letoff and backcheck position.
Too bad they're so expensive, but you get what you pay for I suppose.
The oldest Ks I look after are well over 100 years old and still
playing and tuning well. The most interesting K I've played had been
totally rebuilt and had a Fandrich action in it. Now THERE was a
vertical piano to die for!
BTW, I understand Fandrich sells a retro-fit kit for pre-war Steinway
verticals. Since mine needs a new action, I'm REALLY tempted to go for
it.
John Musselwhite Calgary, Alberta
mus...@cadvision.com Canada
http://www.cadvision.com/musselj
VOCE88
Rich
Agreed It is a fine instrument. Blows away the Yamahas, Kawais,and
others.......... Fer Sure !!!
RichardGalassini
Cunningham Piano Co.
kcoffey
We're looking for a quality upright, and have become interested in a new
Charles Walter at $5200.
Questions:
- Are there used Charles Walters available -- I haven't seen even one?
- Is $5200 a good price for this piano?
- In that price range, are their other, perhaps better, pianos?
Joseph A. Sirna
Charles Walter - Traditional Mahogony
$4,688 - Chopin Piano; Trenton, NJ (609) 695-7456
$5,200 - Beethoven Piano; NYC NY (212) 765-7300
$4,800 - Perfection Piano; Downers Grove, Ill (630) 960-0270
$4,100 - Douglas Piano; Middletown, Wi (608) 831-3331
purported dealer cost is $3,400
Queen Anne style about $100 more
There are 4 or 5 more dealers in the NY metro area I intend to check out.
If anyone has any pricing info, please share it.
If anyone has any opinion of the Walter piano, or knows of some published
reviews, please let us know.
In this price class, I think its the best I've heard, excellent tone &
touch (but I'm not a pianist).
Check out Larry Fine's The Piano Book which rates this in level 5
(Steinway is in 6, Kawai, Yamaha, Boston in level 4, Baldwin, Samick,
Young Chang in level 3)
(I apologize if this is a duplicate, but I received an error with my
first (longer) response).
Bob Sutherland
Joseph A. Sirna wrote:
>
> If anyone has any opinion of the Walter piano, or knows of some published
> reviews, please let us know.
The problem we had with the Walter pianos is that the sound
was a little inconsistent (some notes would speak louder than
others) and in our opinion, the cases were too ornate. We tried
five of them at a dealer and were unimpressed.
The first problem, I assume, could be fixed with regulation and
voicing. Actually one of them, a studio model I believe, was not
ugly, but the corners of the keys were very sharp. I felt like
I was cutting my little finger on long stretches. The tone and
regulation on that instrument was pretty good, though, as I recall.
Bob Sutherland
---
Sutherland & Associates / rsu...@mixcom.com / 414-332-1153
Providing software solutions to the Cellular/PCS industry
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